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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767857">A Magpie's Charms</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardsausage/pseuds/awkwardsausage'>awkwardsausage</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Angst, Baker Tsukishima Kei, Barista Hinata Shouyou, Barista Sugawara Koushi, Barista Yamaguchi Tadashi, Engineering Major Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Personal Trainer Ushijima Wakatoshi, Police Officer Sawamura Daichi, Slow Burn, Ushijima has skeletons in his closet, Yamaguchi likes giving gifts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:27:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,667</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardsausage/pseuds/awkwardsausage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Ushijima's dreams vanish because of an injury on the court, he relocates and gets stuck in an endless cycle of meaningless living. But when a new neighbour moves in, he is forced to face his past. With the help of a few other friends, a cafe and loving trinkets left on his doorstep, he is finally given the chance to move forward and recover.</p><p>But the question is: Will he take it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Mocha Lattes and Moving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! Thanks for choosing to read this! This story will be a bit long and I will try my best to update regularly but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless!</p><p>Note: Tags will be updated as the story progresses!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A cold January breeze rattled Ushijima’s blinds as he slammed his arm down hard on his ringing alarm. He pried open his eyes and blinked at the flaking ceiling. The familiar weight of fatigue sat heavy on his shoulders and he allowed his eyes to flutter shut once again. He probably should get the ceiling painted over soon. Groaning, he rolled over the dull ache of his injured shoulder to turn and stare at the framed picture on his bedside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It showed three neat rows of them in their bright volleyball jerseys, arms draped over one another, trophy glinting gold in the middle. The image was practically burned into his memory. He knew he stood second from the left in the last row, smiling wide and baring his teeth in a way he could never bring himself to do now. He rubbed a tired hand over his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Ushijima found the energy to drag himself out of bed and start his physiotherapy exercises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled his shoulders upwards, taking masochistic pleasure in the slight sting that reminded him that he was still very much alive, and pulled them back downwards. The doctor said that if he kept it up, his shoulder might heal well. He raised his hands. Then lowered them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he got ready for work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bundled himself up in his winter usual, a sandy trench coat over a sports shirt and pants with a green scarf around his neck, and went out to eat breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima worked in a gym two blocks down his apartment as a personal trainer. It wasn’t exactly his dream job but he wasn’t complaining. Besides, his dreams of going pro were out of reach - in a metaphorical and literal sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fumbled with pouring the protein powder into the shaker in his left grip, spilling a bit on the white counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A freak accident on the court rendered his left arm, his spiking arm, basically useless. The doctor said something about his shoulder being unstable and hurting some nerve but all Ushijima could hear over the ringing in his ears was </span>
  <em>
    <span>no one’s going to take you in now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>True enough, all of his offers from various teams had retracted so fast it gave him whiplash, until all Ushijima was left with nothing but a busted shoulder and broken dreams. Crushing devastation pushed him to pack up and relocate to a quieter city in Japan in a last-ditch effort to re-establish his life - even after watching most of it go down the drain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He now lived in a minimalist apartment, stuck in a relentless cycle of wake, work, sleep, repeat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sipping on his protein shake, he stared at the date on the little calendar propped up in his kitchen. Today marked exactly six months of his monotonous lifestyle. He wondered idly if he should reward himself with a small treat for managing to live the barest minimum of a life. Something like a cake would be a nice break in routine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as Ushijima opened his door to a green-haired man lying face down on the ground in front of his house, he realised maybe he didn’t need the cake at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A motionless body laying smack in the middle of the corridor wasn’t exactly something you saw every day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima quickly knelt down to shake the man hesitantly, praying fervently that it wasn’t a corpse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a tense minute, the body groaned and shifted, mumbling something about having ten more minutes. Ushijima sighed in relief, at least he was alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, could you please get up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, please get up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just leave me. My arms still hurt.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t. You’re blocking the way. I need to get to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man went silent for a second before scrambling up frantically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my God, I am so sorry! I was just moving in and I had to do it all by myself and I-” The man spluttered, waving his hands at the piles of boxes around them Ushijima only began to notice. “Ah wait, oh no, I’m making such a bad impression. Wait, uh, hi! My name is Yamaguchi Tadashi and I’m your new neighbour! Please take care of me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man’s face was slowly turning red as he stretched out an arm. Ushijima only stared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was tall, only a half head shorter than him, and he had very prominent smattering of freckles across his cheeks. A small piece of hair jutted out from the crown of his head. He seemed like an interesting character. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was probably a bit younger than Ushijima, maybe by about two years or so. Ushijima didn’t remember much about the neighbour living there before him but they probably weren’t as bold as this man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was lanky but had a bit of compact muscle, giving Ushijima the impression of someone who did some kind of sport or at least worked out. With his bright eyes and hopeful smile, he almost looked like Ushijima when he was younger and starting out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Good afternoon, my name is Ushijima Wakatoshi and I play Ace of the team.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ushijima stared down at the coach in front of him. The coach crossed his arms and scoffed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“As far as I’m aware, you’re not the Ace yet.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ushijima only fixed him with a look of burning determination.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I will be.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ushijima’s mouth went dry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And uh, I know it may sound a bit much for someone you just met but could you, by any chance, help me-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima was going to be late for work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave Yamaguchi’s hand a firm shake and brushed past him without a second glance, leaving Yamaguchi calling after him. The weight on his shoulders seemed to increase tenfold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I’m late,” Ushijima grunted, hanging his coat beside Daichi’s at the entrance of the gym. “I was held up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, you’re far from late. You’re right on time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi grinned at him from the bench inside the gym. Ushijima nodded in acknowledgement and moved to sit beside him, relishing in the hum and the heat radiating off the heater behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was loud and sometimes failed them but it was a far cry from the howling cold winds outside that insisted on tormenting him the entire journey here. Daichi rubbed his hands together and nodded back as if he agreed with Ushijima’s thoughts. He had on his classic black crew cut and his usual workout clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi Sawamura was the closest thing Ushijima had to a friend in this city. He had cut off all contact from his teammates back in his hometown after moving. Daichi was his first client as a trainer and he had left a very… strong impression. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi had dropped a 1kg dumbbell directly onto Ushijima’s foot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How was your week?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood and started on their simple stretches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same old, same old. Oh, but we did manage to nab the pesky thief from last week. We caught him stealing scented candles. Of everything in the shop, it had to be the scented candles. Can you imagine?” Daichi barked out a laugh and Ushijima grinned in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi was your normal friendly neighbourhood police officer who somehow always managed to have the funniest stories about his job. He had been living in this city since he was born and was popular among the longer living residents in the neighbourhood. In other words, old people adored him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what’s shaking on your side?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also spoke like an 80-year-old despite being the same young age of 23. Maybe the old folks were rubbing off on him a bit too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing much.” Ushijima led him into a flat barbell chest press. Daichi wheezed as he started his reps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh come on, you say that every time we meet. There must be something!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A strange Yamaguchi Tadashi moved in today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing comes to mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi laughed and finished up his sets. Ushijima carefully set two dumbbells in front of him for his dumbbell squats before shuffling a good distance away. Daichi pretended to look offended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your life really is boring. Have you even done anything at all to spruce up your life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I grow a cactus at home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A single one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A single one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi scrunched his eyebrows together and they lapsed into silence as Daichi finished up his sets and moved onto the next dumbbell exercises Ushijima had planned for him. He seemed to be deep in thought. It was a work day so the gym was pretty much empty. Only Daichi’s pants filled the silence and Ushijima had to clasp his hands together to prevent himself from fidgeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then all of a sudden, Daichi let go of the barbells and turned to Ushijima with a sparkle in his eye. Ushijima winced at the sound of dumbbells thudding to the ground. Daichi had the nerve to grin apologetically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then how about we go out to have some coffee? I know for a fact that you don’t have a session until 2pm and I know this really nice cafe with some really good coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima looked at Daichi with raised eyebrows. In all the months they had known one another, he had never brought up spending time outside of the gym. He had expected to go back home and do the same thing he always did - lay in bed and ruminate about his many ‘what ifs’ and ‘whys’.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He supposed the scene this morning was a sort of sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi must have read his face well because as soon as the clock struck 10am after their workout, Daichi was dragging him by the hand out of the toasty gym and back out onto the cold sidewalk towards the cafe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a nice place, you’ll love it,” Daichi tugged him along the street. Ushijima let his heels drag in the slightest bit of resistance. As excited as he was, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to meet any more new people. His social battery was already running low, not that there was much left in the beginning. He just wasn’t used to this much action in a single day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cafe, ‘Crow’s Coffee’, was a quaint but homey fixture, its warm earthy tones making it stand out from the sleek silver buildings it was nestled between. A cute bell in the shape of a crow dangled from the corner of the door handle and jingled happily as Daichi pushed open the door. A rush of warm air blew past him and they sighed in unison at the thawing warmth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The inside was as cozy as the outside, wooden benches and chairs crammed into every corner and lined with plush cushions in the shape of various chibi crows. Rustic lights glowed a soft yellow above them and the rich smell of coffee wafting around gave Ushijima high hopes for its quality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until Daichi settled them at the bar counter that Ushijima noted how much Daichi was fidgeting. Daichi was tugging on the ends of his coat sleeves and muttering variations of introductory sentences to the wooden countertop. Ushijima frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was Daichi feeling awkward about this arrangement? Had he felt obligated to bring him here? Ushijima ran his own set of conversation starters through his head. Was hanging out supposed to feel this nerve-wracking? It had been too long since he had done something like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The light upbeat jazz filtering in through the speaker in the corner did nothing to calm his nerves. After a painful five minutes, he finally settled on asking ‘What is your favourite animal?’, only for another man to burst through the curtains behind the counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah! If it isn’t my favourite-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to see you too, Suga!” Dachi blurted out and promptly held his face in his hands. Red slowly bled into his ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. So that’s why he was nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man by the name of Suga blinked in surprise and let out a breezy laugh. He had a head of silver-grey hair and a small beauty mark at the corner of his eye. An orange apron was tied over his black dress shirt and a nametag pinned onto the strap of the apron proudly proclaimed ‘Barista’ in a fancy font. The man gave Daichi a few playful taps on the head with the corner of his tray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What I was going to say was ‘If it isn’t my favourite awkward police officer!’ but nice to see you too, I guess. You’re too funny, Daichi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara pulled back the tray and gave another light chuckle. Daichi laughed choppily in response, rubbing at the red mark on his head that suggested that the taps were probably more whacks than not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima was meeting a lot of interesting people today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I see you’ve brought company! Is this another one of your police officer friends?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he’s just a friend from the gym. Ushijima, this is Sugawara. My, uh, friend from university.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shook hands. Sugawara’s grip was tighter than he had expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Introductions aside, how about some drinks, boys?” Sugawara wiggled his eyebrows in a flirtatious manner and slid over two brightly decorated menus. Ushijima decided not to mention the alarming redness of Daichi’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Ushijima had guessed, this was indeed a crow-themed cafe and even their drinks had little designs of various crows on them. Ushijima pointed out one with the same beauty mark that looked like Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right, we mostly base our designs on the baristas working here. Sounds weird right? But Hinata really wanted his face as a crow on a cup of coffee so here we are. People find it cute though!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara pointed to a crow with flaming orange hair printed on the bottom corner of the menu. It looked annoyingly cheerful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have the usual hot caramel latte,” Daichi cleared his throat and slid the menu back. Sugawara winked and got started on his drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And for the other gentleman?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Startled from his inspection of the cutesy menu, he pointed at a random drink in hopes that it would taste good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A mocha latte for you. Good choice! Simple and nice,” Sugawara worked deftly with what Ushijima guessed was a big coffee machine. While Sugawara was distracted with pouring the syrups, Ushijima leaned close to Daichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You took the one with his face, didn’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi said nothing, opting to cover his face and start slamming his forehead against the counter instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara was extremely friendly and his manner of speaking made him seem like a mother figure, complete with the classic ‘Have you eaten breakfast yet?’ and the usual ‘You need to take better care of yourselves!’. It wasn’t long before he placed two mugs steaming coffee in front of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bon appetit!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coffee probably wasn’t something that needed to be taken with a good appetite but Ushijima held his tongue. Turning his attention back to his coffee cup, he lifted it with the intention of taking a sip before stopping to inspect the design on top.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was another chibi crow, one that he hadn’t noticed on the menu. Its beak was spread in a call and it had a small piece of hair sticking out from the top of his head. It seemed as normal as the other crow designs but the thing that made him do a double take was the tiny dotting of frothy milk freckles on its cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah sorry if the mocha latte isn’t up to your standards! Usually the coffee with a specific barista’s design is his own specialty. That’s why our Daichi always gets my cup!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara blew him a kiss and Daichi spluttered, coffee dribbling down his chin. Ushijima slid a packet of tissues towards him subtly. It was obvious that wasn’t the only reason. Either Sugawara was as dense as a brick or he was deliberately messing with Daichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our mocha latte expert won’t be tapping in today but feel free to come by tomorrow if you want a better cup,” Sugawara smiled warmly at Ushijima. He nodded carefully, taking a tentative sip. It was good, but a bit too chocolatey for his tastes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them chatted for a while and Ushijima could feel the tension on his shoulders loosen just the slightest bit. He took another sip of his coffee and wondered if his life had finally reached a curve in the road. A new neighbour and acquaintance all in one day? It was the most change he’s ever had in 6 months.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He placed the cup back down and reminded himself that these things were only temporary. The coffee would run empty, the road would straighten out. It was unlikely that he would ever form a strong bond with any of them. And even if he did, it could all end in an instant. He needed his distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as Ushijima watched the remnants of the freckled crow swirl into his coffee, he couldn’t help but wish he could live in this moment forever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walk back to his apartment was more lonely than he had expected. The wind had died down but the atmosphere was definitely more biting than in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was well 5 in the evening and he had cleared all his other appointments with his clients. The sky was bathed in an orange glow, not too unlike the lights in the cafe earlier. The sweetness of chocolate still lingered at the tip of his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he ascended the stairs and rounded the corner to his apartment, he realised that there were still a multitude of boxes outside Yamaguchi’s apartment. Yamaguchi himself was sitting on his doorstep, whispering frantically into his phone and nibbling on his thumbnail with a distraught look on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The pre-game nerves had settled in and his team was in various states of nervousness. Some twisted their fingers together on the bench, others were pacing around the court. The stands were full and bursting this year but their opponents had yet to arrive. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ushijima squinted at the bright lights overhead. Normally, he was not one to be affected by insecurity. After all, he had none. But a heavy churning feeling in his gut told him that today, something bad was going to happen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ushijima frowned. Yamaguchi was blocking the way again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi perked up at the sound of his voice, eyes going wide. Mumbling a quick goodbye to the person on the phone, he got up and started moving a stack of boxes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi again, I’m so sorry, I just- Here, you can pass through now,” Yamaguchi deposited the stack onto a larger stack that teetered dangerously over Yamaguchi. Ushijima eyed it cautiously as he crossed past him, rummaging into his pockets for his keys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi fumbled to keep the boxes upright, using his entire body to keep them back. Just as Ushijima extracted the ring of keys from his pocket, he felt his gut twist in the weird way it did only when something was about to happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Call it instinct, but his gut feeling was never wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One moment the only sound was the chiming of his keys and the next, the sound of an avalanche of rustling cardboard boxes was echoing down the corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima whipped around only to watch Yamaguchi disappear from view under the boxes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima was immediately rushing over and pushing the boxes aside. Dread sunk in his chest when he realised some of the boxes were more heavy than they seemed. If Yamaguchi wasn't dead this morning, he could be now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed over a few more boxes and uncovered a mop of green hair. Yamaguchi sat up in a daze and rubbed his forehead where a trickle of blood had started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah I’m fine, thanks,” He gave Ushijima a feeble smile which deflated into frown as he peered at the mess of boxes surrounding him. “I just hope I didn’t break anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If anything, he should be worried if he had broken any </span>
  <em>
    <span>bones</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima remained silent as he pulled Yamaguchi to his feet, surveying the piles of boxes around them. There were about a dozen of them and judging by the weight of some of them, Yamaguchi definitely couldn’t carry them alone. Yamaguchi shuffled beside him, ghosting his fingers over the boxes, deliberately not looking at Ushijima. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He seemed alright for the most part but the devastated look on his face made Ushijima feel a slight tinge of guilt for not helping out earlier in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima sighed. It wasn’t as if he had anything else to do today. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his shoulders, he ignored the sharp pain in his left one and picked up a particularly heavy box. Karma really was hitting him back in the face, huh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-Hey! What are you doing?” Yamaguchi had both hands clasped over his forehead and his eyes were wide with surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pardon for the intrusion,” Ushijima dropped the first box inside. The apartment had many other boxes inside already. Had Yamaguchi really been slogging over these alone? He returned for another box but saw that Yamaguchi was attempting to shift the boxes with one hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop, I’ll do it. You can have this,” Ushijima produced an extra handkerchief from his back pocket, glad that his paranoia over cleanliness was actually coming in handy. Yamaguchi still looked uneasy as he accepted the handkerchief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? I still can-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima planted two hands on Yamaguchi’s shoulders and pushed him down firmly into a sitting position against the wall. Yamaguchi swallowed and nodded, pressing the handkerchief against his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the rest of the evening, Ushijima lugged box after box into Yamaguchi’s apartment until his shoulder burned. When he was done, he dusted his hands off and sat on the steps of his house opposite Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you doing trying to move this all on your own?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi lifted his head and smiled sheepishly, eyes crinkling at the corners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t expect my things to be so heavy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you shouldn’t overestimate yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima sat across him for a while, catching his breath. Yamaguchi propped an arm on his knee to continue pressing the handkerchief to his forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima knew that this was the time to get up, say his goodbyes and shut the door, but something about Yamaguchi made him want to sit just a bit longer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know if it was his hidden desperation for connection or his tendency to torture himself but Ushijima found himself staying on the doorstep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you moving at this time of the year? Is it not too cold?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi looked a bit surprised by the sudden initiation of conversation and Ushijima was too. Words had never come to him easy but these ones had just slipped right out of his mouth, no filter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was originally living in the busier side of town but I moved here so that I could live closer to my university. I don’t have a car so I reasoned living closer would be much more convenient.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not a dorm, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like the idea of it. Four people crammed into one room? With only one toilet?” Yamaguchi shuddered. “No thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima nodded along politely. Taking his response as a green light to continue, Yamaguchi leaned forward slightly and smiled, eyes brightening considerably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what do you think of this side of the city?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s quiet enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah that’s true! It was one of my other reasons for moving here. This place really is pretty quiet but in a peaceful way rather than in a ghost town way,” Yamaguchi switched the hands holding the handkerchief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A draft of wind rushed past and Yamaguchi hugged himself to keep warm. The break in conversation gave Ushijima the opportunity to glance at his watch. 6.30pm. He was suddenly aware of the numbness in his fingers. Had they really been out here for so long? Why didn’t Yamaguchi say anything?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima stretched his shoulder slightly, wincing when the sharp pain came back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi stretched out a hand in concern and Ushijima leaned away. Yamaguchi’s hand remained suspended as a loosely curled fist for a while before it was pulled back into his lap, fingers starting to tap against his thigh as he glanced upwards at Ushijima, eyes wide in an inquisitive look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima froze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ushijima showed up for practice the next month. He just stood at the door of the gym and everything inside grounded to a halt. A ball someone had dropped rolled to his feet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The cast was heavy on his arm and his shoulder still stung but it was the way they looked at his that killed him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was the look of absolute pity on every single one of their faces.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi didn’t need to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You probably should start unpacking,” Ushijima stood up, rubbing a nervous thumb against the keys in his pocket just in case he needed to make a quick escape. Yamaguchi stood up too and scuffed his shoe against the ground shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah I should but, um, can I ask-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye, Yamaguchi.” Ushijima rushed to stick the key into the keyhole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” A hand grabbed his sleeve and he looked up to see Yamaguchi with a pleading look. “I was going to ask for your name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima paused. It didn’t occur to him that he never introduced himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ushijima Wakatoshi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi took a while to run the name over his lips before his face split into a wide smile that radiated so much happiness, it almost made Ushijima want to smile too. His eyes crinkled once again and Ushijima watched the freckles stretch around his rounded cheeks. Ushijima was staring too long to be considered normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you around, Ushijima!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And like that Yamaguchi was gone, bounding into his apartment and shutting the door behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima huffed and entered his own house. What a peculiar man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until he set his coat down and got ready to shower did he realise he had left his handkerchief with Yamaguchi. He hoped that Yamaguchi would remember to give it back tomorrow.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mornings and Messes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hinata makes a mess.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! Sorry for the long wait! Exams are over so I'm back :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yamaguchi did remember.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Ushijima flung open his door the next morning, there it was. His handkerchief was washed white and pressed, set inside a zip-lock bag on his doorstep. The bag was still warm and Ushijima peered curiously at Yamaguchi’s door. All was silent on his end. Maybe he had just missed Yamaguchi then. As he prepared to take it back in, he felt something else taped to the back of the bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a bright pink post-it with big loopy handwriting and something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Thanks a lot for yesterday! I’m really sorry you had to help out! Remember to keep warm~ Have a great day ahead!! </span>
  <span>╰(´｡• ᵕ •｡`)╯’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An unopened heat pack came attached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima took a moment to reread the note before taking the package back inside wordlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he left the house once again, he had on his winter usual and both pockets were full and warm - one with a freshly pressed handkerchief and one with the best heat pack he had ever used.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wind didn’t bother him as much today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Truth be told, Ushijima didn’t have a destination in mind when he decided to walk out the door. When he had first opened the door, he only intended to take in the mail from downstairs. He didn’t intend on receiving a gift on his doorstep. He clenched his hand over the heat pack and puffed out a cloud of air. He reasoned it would be a shame not to use a gift like that right away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, laying in bed all day probably wouldn’t exactly be having a good day, would it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have an appointment with Daichi today and his next one was at 2pm, meaning that he had a lot of time to kill until then. His workplace allowed him more flexible hours since no one really came to work out much on weekdays.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His idle legs took him wandering to places he was so used to seeing but never bothered to discover. He ambled through a park, a few small shops where old ladies cooed at his figure and down lanes where delicious smells of warm buns wafted into the cold air. He felt oddly invigorated. Maybe after this, he could go back and finally get started on his laundry pile from yesterday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned and set course for home when a group of middle schoolers jogged past him, smiling at one another and laughing about something the leader said. Ushijima frowned as their backs stretched further from him. If they were talking like that then they weren’t taking the exercise seriously enough. They should be focussing on their breathing and their pace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wakatoshi, why are you always so stiff? Talk to me! It’s boring being the only person talking. Ah wait, did I tell you about this cool thing I saw yesterday?” Tendou grinned breathlessly while waving his arms around to help him visualise a chapter of a manga only Tendou knew about.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The air was humid and warm from their collective pants and the heat of the summer sun as the team took their usual jog around the school. Ushijima was nodding along mindlessly, focussing on the air filling and escaping his lungs instead. Their pace was steady and consistent - left, right, left right - footsteps pounding against the concrete, nothing but the sounds of their breathing and Tendou’s rambling could be heard.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Noticing his companion wasn’t paying attention, Tendou smacked Ushijima on the arm only to get no reaction. His teammates chuckled where they jogged behind them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you even paying attention? Ah geez, you’re probably thinking about volleyball again right? You’re such a stupid volleyball idiot. Let me start from the beginning. So once-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop talking and focus on your breathing, Tendou.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tendou spluttered indignantly as the whole team burst into laughter. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Looking back at his team’s amusement under the burning sun, who was Ushijima to complain when their footsteps became just the slightest bit offbeat?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tearing his eyes away from the group, he deviated from his path home, hand gripping the heat pack tighter. He didn’t feel like going home anymore. The loneliness would kill him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Ushijima found himself returning to the only other place he could go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crow-shaped bell jingled cheerfully once again as Ushijima pushed open the door. The warmth of the cafe enveloped him once more and he tightened his hand around the heat pack in his pocket. Unlike yesterday, the cafe was relatively crowded. People packed into every seat and the sound of chatter drowned out the sounds of jazz.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to- Ah! Ushijima, you’re back! No Daichi this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima took a thankfully vacant seat at the counter table as Sugawara jerked his chin in a greeting, hands busy stirring into a pot of coffee. He had a smear of syrup on his cheek that he quickly wiped off with a corner of his apron. Sugawara looked a bit more frazzled than usual but the disappointment that Ushijima had arrived alone was evident as he glanced at the door hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah sorry it’s just the usual breakfast rush! Give me a bit-” Sugawara yelped as a can of whipped cream nearly rolled off the counter only to be stopped by Ushijima’s quick reflexes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cup in Sugawara’s hand jerked, a splatter of coffee spilling onto Sugawara’s apron. He hurriedly finished the design on the cup with a sprinkling of cocoa powder before bustling off to serve the coffee to a woman near the end of the shop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Sugawara returned to the counter, he slumped heavily against it, raking his fingers through his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you working alone at such a busy time?” Ushijima frowned. Surely if this was what happened every morning rush hour, it was no wonder that his hair was grey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara only smiled and straightened his apron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah I’m not, actually. It just so happened that two of our baristas are also pretty busy with other stuff in the cafe. One is running deliveries for our pastries from the bakery near here,” Sugawara waved a hand at the display of depleting tarts that Ushijima never noticed. Perhaps he should get one of those cute looking cakes. “And the other-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’M HERE!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a great sound of rustling coming from behind the curtain before a boy with bright orange hair leapt out from behind the curtain. Ushijima took one look at his eager smile and turned back to Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is child labour not illegal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara let out a snort while the other Barista squawked in offense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ushijima, this is Hinata Shouyou, the one who made us learn to do latte art of our own faces as crows,” Sugawara rolled his eyes and Hinata pouted, eyeing Ushijima suspiciously. Seeing Hinata’s obvious hostility, Sugawara tried to push him back through the curtains but the boy continued to stare stubbornly at Ushijima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How tall are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima wanted to laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“192cm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata gaped incredulously before growling at Ushijima, mumbling something about stupid tall people before Sugawara stuffed him back through the curtains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right off the bat, Ushijima knew Hinata was of the childish sort. And not only because of his child-like height. His mood swang from one to another faster than a freshly oiled swing set and his zeal was reminiscent of a hyperactive puppy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind him, he’s just a bit prickly that he was stuck with the stock-taking duty this week. He doesn’t know how lucky he is not to be the one fighting the front counter. Though he probably loves serving the front counter more than anyone. Too bad we gotta stick to the schedules or the others will complain.” Sugawara sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before righting himself. “Oh right, pardon my rudeness, what brings you here today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima paused. He didn’t really have much of a reason for being here. He came up with one anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I liked the coffee?” It technically wasn't a lie. The coffee was good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara laughed, clapping his hands together. Ushijima noticed that his laugh lacked its usual bright quality. Was he really that tired?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad I didn’t screw up too much on the mocha yesterday! I’ve been told I put too much chocolate in sometimes. Ah but all that aside, can I take your order?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima accepted the menu from Sugawara and looked over the choices, once again taking in the cute designs while Sugawara bustled around to serve other customers. He was tempted to pick the same mocha latte when he noticed Sugawara had suddenly stopped shifting around the counter and instead started rapping his fingers against it, glancing at Ushijima almost sheepishly in a less than subtle effort to get his attention. Ushijima glanced upwards curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s a bit of a selfish request but by chance could you order a matcha latte? It’s supposed to be Hinata’s speciality and I was hoping to catch a little bit of a break behind,” Sugawara trailed off before waving an embarrassed hand in front of his face. “Ah but if you’d like another cup of coffee that’s also-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like a Matcha Latte please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“HINATA, SOMEONE ORDERED YOUR SPECIAL!” Sugawara shouted without a beat, removing his apron and flinging it against the counter in relief. He gave Ushijima a grateful but tired smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As much as I’d love to stay and talk, I’m kinda spent and I really don’t want to drag you down by being all grumpy when I talk to you. You’ll get a tart on the house from me though!” Sugawara smiled before waving and whisking himself through the curtain, disappearing from sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima took out the heat pack from his pocket and fiddled with it idly. He understood that Sugawara was tired but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he couldn’t talk to him today. Sugawara had a refreshing personality that was possibly more of a pick-me-up than the coffee itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But almost as soon as Sugawara entered what Ushijima assumed was the storeroom, the Hinata guy popped right out, eyes sparkly and bright and annoying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now he was stuck with this man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay! Who ordered the best drink on the menu?” He shouted, peering around the cafe excitedly, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Ushijima raised his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima watched as the smile slipped off his face and morphed into a growl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh it’s Mr. Tall Guy. At least you have good taste in coffee,” Hinata grumbled, fetching a clean pot from the sink. Where the counter was at about Sugawara’s hips, Hinata’s disappeared just beneath it as the counter came up to almost half of his body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would prefer if you could call me Ushijima Wakatoshi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata seemed to glare at him for a bit before nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ushiwaka</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but don’t think just because I know your name, I’ll forgive you for calling me short! I’m not a kid!” Hinata huffed before pointing an aggressive finger at Ushijima. “Now I’m going to make the best coffee you’ve ever tasted!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima hummed and turned to look out the window, ignoring Hinata’s squeaky rambling about his coffee. It wasn’t that Ushijima hated Hinata, he just didn’t exactly like Hinata’s energy. It made him feel tired and dizzy just watching Hinata. A few more customers streamed out and Hinata was already pouncing on the tables, wiping them down and clearing them with inhumane speed before bounding back to the counter to serve ordering customers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But where Hinata was fast, he was also clumsy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima grimaced as a reasonably large amount of water splashed out of Hinata’s tray from clearing things and formed a gross puddle an arm’s length away from him. Hinata would have to clear that up later or someone could slip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In record time, Hinata had cleared and seated four tables of people and served a grand total of eight drinks before moving on to Ushijima’s drink. It seemed that Hinata had left his order for last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Ushiwaka, how do you know Suga?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima grimaced at the nickname as Hinata dragged over a noisy metal tall chair and clambered onto it to make his drink. Hinata now sat at Ushijima’s eye level, squinting at him like some sort of superior being that was interrogating him. Maybe Hinata had some sort of a height complex. Ushijima almost wanted to laugh at the petty gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Through a friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata pointed, continuing to work at the matcha and Ushijima couldn’t help but notice he looked like a baby in a high chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it Daichi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata bobbed his head in acknowledgment, starting on brewing the matcha. Ushijima had sighed in relief at the supposed end of the conversation and had started fiddling with the quickly cooling heat pack. Maybe coming here was a mistake after all. He felt more drained than he did before and he wasn’t even sure he had enough energy to even lead the session he had later on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All hope of getting any quiet was dashed once again as Hinata whipped around to look at him with a suspicious look in his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not trying to steal Suga from Daichi, are you?” Hinata squinted at Ushijima once again, sitting up straight in the chair to try to gain a few extra millimeters on Ushijima. With the number of times Hinata had squinted at him in the past few minutes, you’d think that he needed glasses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima wanted to slam his head against the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Hinata was hyperactive, clumsy </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> stupid. It was getting harder not to get frustrated with Hinata.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I am not. I am simply friends with Sugawara.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B-But what if you’re lying! I can’t let you come between Sugawara and Daichi! They’re like soulmates made in heaven!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima fixed Hinata with a flat look. Hinata scrunched his nose up at him before relenting and starting to pour Ushijima’s matcha into one of the creamy white cups all the while glancing up at Ushijima occasionally as if he was checking to see if Ushijima was watching him do his barista things. Ushijima raised his eyebrows and Hinata groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay fine, I’m sorry for being mean! Boy, it’s tiring being mean. I just really, really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t like tall people who call me short,” Hinata whined and climbed off the tall chair, dragging the chair back to its original place, mumbling something about some Stingyshima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever that was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for ordering my drink though! If you haven’t noticed, I really love working the front counter. It’s like running around serving coffee like ‘whoosh’ and pouring the coffee like ‘shwah’!” Hinata accentuated his sound effects by throwing an artful dash of matcha into Ushijima’s drink. Ushijima nodded along tiredly, half glad that Hinata had stopped being hostile towards him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just really loved making coffee since I was a kid! I used to help out at my mom’s coffee shop before I opened up this one,” Hinata chirped, pouring the steaming hot milk into the matcha.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima did a double-take.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You own this shop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm yep!” Hinata grinned. “But I’m not the manager though! I do handle the place’s financial matters and hiring people since I own the place and all but I’m no good with planning stuff and deciding on things. Our manager should be on the way back,” Hinata peeked outside the door. So this manager was the other barista. Ushijima shook his head in confoundment. Should the manager not be staying in the shop?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He usually runs to get our stock of tarts from the nearby bakery. He’s best friends with one of the bakers so he doesn’t mind running all the way there for him,” Hinata stuck out his tongue in a disgusted expression. “I can’t see why they would be good friends, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as Hinata swiftly drew in the crow with a matcha mixture. He couldn’t deny that Hinata had the skills. That combined with his passion could surely make his coffee shop successful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now let me serve you the best coffee in the world!” Hinata declared. Ushijima prepared to reach over to accept the cup over the counter when it was sweeped out of his reach and onto a tray held in Hinata’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I insist on giving you the grandest experience while drinking this!” Hinata shushed Ushijima when he looked like he was about to protest. Ushijima didn’t have a good feeling about this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata wobbled towards him with the tray laying on the palm of his hand. Not exactly the safest way to hold a tray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here comes the best matcha latte you’ll ever drink in your whole entire life!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima felt it before he saw it. His gut twisted once again as Hinata carried the tray towards him, unaware of the splatter of water he had neglected to clean up earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It all seemed to happen slowly. The squeak of Hinata’s sneakers against the puddle, the surprised look on Hinata’s face, the toppling tray with the piping hot coffee-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The burn of his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my Gosh, I am so sorry Ushi- Ushijima!” Hinata quickly clambered off the wet ground and flailed his arms around Ushijima in panic. The cup was nestled unharmed in Ushijima’s lap but its contents were spilled all over his shirt and coat, a dull green that would be noticeable no matter how he tried to hide it. He was glad he opted for a dark grey shirt today instead of a white one but that didn’t really make him look any less like he was covered in algae.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima could hear the hushed whispers of the other customers as they stared at them. Even in his shock, he admittedly felt a little bad for Hinata who looked like he was on the verge of tears as he scrambled for napkins behind the counter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His chest was throbbing and burning with pain but he could barely feel it over the heavy weight that nestled on his shoulders once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why was everything going wrong with him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stared blankly at the unbroken cup in his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But all of a sudden, with a jingle of the front door, a gust of cold wind blew into the coffee shop and a burst of light spilled into the shop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gwah! Yamaguchi, help!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the sound of the name, Ushijima tore his eyes away from the cup to see a familiar face standing at the door. The man’s hands scrambled to prop a box on his hip to gape at the mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“U-Ushijima?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there stood Yamaguchi Tadashi in his full freckled glory.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter is a little short this week but that's because I planned a lot more exciting things in the next chapter! The next chapter should be out by the 12th of July. Thanks for reading! :D</p><p>Note: Sorry! I have a last-minute graded test this week so I won't be able to get out the chapter this week! I will have a double update on the 20th though! I'm really sorry :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Matcha and Making Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yamaguchi is a good manager.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! Sorry for keeping you waiting!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What happened here?” Yamaguchi spluttered.</p><p>He was immediately putting down the box, grabbing the napkins from Hinata and dabbing down Ushijima’s front.</p><p>“Hi Ushijima, I am so, so sorry,” Yamaguchi winced, giving Ushijima an apologetic look. “I knew I shouldn’t have left them alone. Ah hey but, um, do you want to come into our back room so we can clean this up?”</p><p>Ushijima nodded dumbly and was led by the hand into the back room where Sugawara was out cold, snoozing on the small table in the room. Sure enough, the back room was also a storeroom. Boxes of what Ushijima assumed were bags of coffee beans were stacked up on shelves and some were half-opened. </p><p>A small sink and mirror were tucked into the corner beside a cupboard that was probably for the employees’ clothes. Other than that, there were three other chairs in the room around the small square table Sugawara lay propped on. He really did look tired.</p><p>Yamaguchi sat him on one of the chairs and handed him a handful of new napkins.</p><p>“Ah yikes, I hope you didn’t get scalded or anything. I’m so sorry this happened, gosh. I-I’ll go get a cloth for that,” Yamaguchi’s gaze flickered from his eyes to his shirt, face growing a shade redder.</p><p>Ushijima grasped the paper napkins loosely and dabbed at his shirt as Yamaguchi whisked himself out of the curtains.</p><p>Ushijima’s eyes followed Yamaguchi’s figure and peeked through the gap in the curtains, watching Yamaguchi instruct Hinata on how to clean up the mess and while shushing down the rest of the patrons in the cafe. There was no mistaking the authoritative tone and stance Yamaguchi took as the noise slowly died down. His shoulders were squared and a bright smile was plastered on his face. He looked like the kind of manager that people couldn’t possibly say no to. </p><p>It was worlds apart from the uneasy and nervous Yamaguchi he had met the day before. Here, he really was a true manager.</p><p>A wad of napkins tumbled from his hands and onto the floor and Ushijima snapped over to chase it. The motion only succeeded in bringing his attention to the stinging pain on his chest area as he hissed, straightening up again.</p><p>Maybe he did have a bit of a scald.</p><p>Peeling off his stained coat, he pointed a sideways glance at Sugawara to ensure he was still sound asleep before gingerly slipping off his shirt as well. He had a patch of stinging red skin across his abdomen that was still felt tender to the touch after a gentle prod.</p><p>Sugawara mumbled something and shifted, causing Ushijima to clutch his soiled shirt back to his chest until Sugawara finally settled.</p><p>It wasn’t like Ushijima was self-conscious or anything, he knew he had a good figure for a man, but Sugawara waking up to him half-naked may not leave the best impression, especially since they had only met the day before. Besides, he had changed in front of others in locker rooms before, it wasn’t that big of a deal.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “First one to drop the ball treats us to meat buns!” Tendou laughs before bumping a ball of clothes into the air. It didn’t matter how Tendou managed to weave his clothes into a ball or if they were even clean, the only thing on Ushijima’s mind was to keep the ball in the air. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> They all stood in a circle, in various states of nudeness, passing the ball to one another in the locker room. Some were fully clothed, some were half-dressed, but with the alarming looseness of Goshiki’s boxers on his hips, one of them would be fully naked too. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Goshiki!” Reon huffed as he sent a particularly high pass over to Goshiki. His boxers took that moment to slip, causing the clothes ball to fly over his head as Goshiki grabbed frantically at the falling waistband of his boxers. Ushijima shook his head fondly at the sight as the rest of the team doubled over in laughter. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The meat buns tasted especially sweet despite the sour look on Goshiki’s face. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima grit his teeth. It was hard to think about how much his life had revolved around volleyball. He was getting too nostalgic.</p><p>Focusing on the matter at hand, Ushijima placed his shirt on the table and started rubbing at it with the napkins with such force that instead of cleaning it like he was supposed to, small bits of paper fibers were added to the mess. He threw down both the shirt and the napkins to the floor with a grunt. He’d been thinking about the past too much these days.</p><p>“Ah Ushijima, here you go, ack-” Yamaguchi squeaked. Ushijima glanced upwards only to find Yamaguchi back inside the room, covering his face with a damp yellow towel. Ushijima blinked before looking down. Ah, right.</p><p>But as Ushijima bent down to pick his shirt off from the ground, Yamaguchi started waving his arms frantically.</p><p>“It’s fine! It’s probably better for the scald if it’s off right? Besides, I have to check the damage since you’re, um, hurt because of one of our workers,” Yamaguchi’s voice raised in pitch as Yamaguchi slowly lowered the towel, glancing at Ushijima nervously. “Plus we’re just guys, right? So it shouldn't be that big of a problem?”</p><p>Ushijima nodded an affirmation and reclined back into the chair, watching as Yamaguchi approached him like a scared animal, setting the cloth onto Ushijima’s scald. Ushijima let out a noise of discomfort at the coolness of the cloth against his skin.</p><p>“It doesn’t look too bad from what I saw but it’s still quite red,” Yamaguchi winced, taking a seat opposite Ushijima. He laced his fingers together and pushed his knees together.</p><p>“It’s alright, it was just a simple accident.” </p><p>Yamaguchi nodded silently but he didn’t seem to accept the assurance, shifting in the chair. He gestured vaguely towards Ushijima’s stomach.</p><p>“Does it hurt?”</p><p>“Not too much.”</p><p>“Would you like another drink? I could go and-”</p><p>“That’s not necessary.”</p><p>Ushijima noticed Yamaguchi shrinking a bit at his tone and he quickly corrected it.</p><p>“I’m not upset, Yamaguchi. I just don’t feel like having another one.”</p><p>Yamaguchi seemed to relax more at his words but he was obviously still nervous, looking at the irregular drumming of his fingers against the table.</p><p>“I should still compensate you though...Ah! How does a strawberry tart sound? I got them fresh from the bakery just now,” Yamaguchi’s fidgeting seemed more from excitement now. “Tsukki made them himself this time so they taste amazing!”</p><p>Ah, Tsukki must be his friend from the bakery then. Ushijima tried to match the cute name to an image of a small man with a bright personality, maybe someone as cheerful as Yamaguchi. Then again, with the way Hinata scrunched his face up in disgust, Ushijima had the feeling that this ‘Tsukki’ would turn out to be someone completely different.</p><p>Ushijima drummed his fingers against his thigh in thought as Yamaguchi leaned forward like a dog awaiting his treat, anticipating his reply. Ushijima did intend to try one of their tarts and Sugawara did owe him one. Technically, there was no reason not to get one.</p><p>Plus with the way Yamaguchi was looking at him, how could he refuse?</p><p>Yamaguchi must have somehow seen the resignation in his eyes because he was immediately leaping up, hands clasped together happily.</p><p>“One strawberry tart, coming right up!”</p><p>Yamaguchi bounded out of the curtains yet again. He must really be proud of this ‘Tsukki’.</p><p>Ushijima sighed and peeked under the damp cloth. It was helping in soothing the pain but the patch of skin was still a bright red. A wisp of cold air from the air-conditioner brushed past it and Ushijima winced at the cool sensation on his skin. How long would it take for a scald to stop hurting?</p><p>Speaking of time, he glanced at the small clock on the wall, only to find that all of this had only happened in the span of 15 minutes.</p><p>Huh. What an eventful day.</p><p>“I don’t know if you’re trying to seduce me or not but just so you know, my heart already belongs to someone else.”</p><p>Ushijima squeezed the towel to his chest and jerked his head toward Sugawara who was now groggily rubbing his eyes. Ignoring Ushijima’s shock at his confession, Sugawara eyed the towel on his abdomen blearily.</p><p>“What happened when I was out?” He scrubbed his face with both his hands before leaning into them, on the verge of dozing off again.</p><p>“Hinata spilled coffee onto me.”</p><p>Sugawara was instantly awake. He tore his hands away from his face.</p><p>“Oh no, are you okay? Oh God, we need Yamaguchi here, I-”</p><p>“Ah, Yamaguchi has already returned.” Ushijima raised the cloth on his abdomen. “He helped clean up.”</p><p>Sugawara breathed a sigh of relief and sat back into the chair. Ushijima fiddled with the cloth. They must really rely on Yamaguchi a lot here.</p><p>“Yamaguchi’s our manager but also the sanest person here. Without Yamaguchi, I don’t know how this cafe would survive,” Sugawara slumped back onto the table, propping his head onto his arm. “Hinata knew him from his sports team and he ended up hiring him when he found out he needed a job. I actually came in after Yamaguchi so he’s kind of like my mentor even though he’s younger than me.”</p><p>Sports team? Ushijima opened his mouth to ask when he noticed the curtains fluttering in the corner of his eye.</p><p>“Here you go, Ushi- Ah good morning, Suga!” Yamaguchi grinned, balancing a small plate of the tart in his hands. “Did you have a good nap while I was gone?”</p><p>Despite the smile on Yamaguchi’s face, the accusation was loud and clear. Sugawara smiled sheepishly.</p><p>“Yes I did, actually. I’ll get to work now! Hope it gets better fast, Ushijima.”</p><p>Sugawara winked at Ushijima before disappearing outside, deliberately dodging past Yamaguchi on his way out. Yamaguchi shook his head with a laugh and placed the tart on the small table, taking his seat across Ushijima.</p><p>Ushijima only stared at Yamaguchi who blinked at him repeatedly until he realised Yamaguchi was waiting for him to try a bite. He took the small fork on the plate and took a chunk off the tart, surprised by the crispiness of the crust. Carefully, he spooned it into his mouth.</p><p>His eyes widened just a fraction but Yamaguchi was already lighting up like a Christmas tree. The tart was sweet but not too overwhelming and the texture of the crust was amazing. The custard was deliciously creamy and the strawberries were the juiciest. It was the best tart he had ever had.</p><p>He guessed he had to pay a visit to that bakery too, sooner or later.</p><p>“I’m so glad you like it. I’ll tell Tsukki-” Yamaguchi stood up abruptly only to accidentally kick the pile of Ushijima’s clothing on the floor. He grimaced and glanced down. “Right. I should settle your shirt and coat first.”</p><p>Ushijima shot him a look of confusion as Yamaguchi hauled his soiled clothing into his arms and headed to the sink in the corner of the room.</p><p>“Yamaguchi, you don’t need to do that.”</p><p>“Please, it’s the least I can do after we kinda ruined your clothes.” Yamaguchi turned back and rubbed the back of his neck. The sounds of trickling water filled the room as Yamaguchi pumped soap into his hands, suds filling the sink as he scrubbed delicately at the patches of green. “Besides, it’s not the first time something like this happened. Hinata is pretty accident-prone if you haven’t noticed.”</p><p>Ushijima watched Yamaguchi while chewing on the delicious tart thoughtfully.</p><p>Yamaguchi was humming under his breath as the green slowly bled out of the fabric and flowed down the sink. He didn’t have his apron on since he came directly from the bakery so he was dressed plainly in the black dress shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Yamaguchi briefly flipped his bangs to the side and Ushijima noticed the colourful bandage on his forehead.</p><p>“How is your forehead?”</p><p>Yamaguchi startled at the question, scratching his cheek with a soapy finger, leaving a splatter of bubbles on his freckles.</p><p>“It’s healing well. It wasn’t a big cut to begin with so it’ll probably heal within the week,” Yamaguchi blew his fringe away from his face yet again. “Also isn’t it kinda ironic that now you’re the one injured?”</p><p>Ushijima huffed and peeked under the cloth. Ironic indeed. The redness had gone down but the splotch was definitely still there. Water slapped against the sink as Yamaguchi wrang the last of the water out of the clothes and he carried them over to the chairs, draping the sodden clothes across the backs. Yamaguchi started to pat them down to squeeze out little bits of the extra water when he stilled.</p><p>“Yamaguchi?”</p><p>“I should’ve asked you if you had anything in your pockets, gosh am I stupid or what?” Yamaguchi quickly turned the pockets of Ushijima’s coat inside out. There was an obvious weight inside and Ushijima held his breath. It couldn’t be his phone, he had left that at home. His wallet was in his pants so what else? Yamaguchi seemed equally frantic as he rummaged through them.</p><p>When the item popped out, both of them stared blankly at it. </p><p>All was silent for a beat. </p><p>Then Yamaguchi proceeded to burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach as he doubled over, holding up the soggy remains of the heat pack. Ushijima sighed in relief.</p><p>“I didn’t know you’d use it immediately,” Yamaguchi spoke between giggles, walking over to a dustbin and depositing it inside.</p><p>“That was the thing that made me get out of the house in the first place,” Ushijima groaned, finishing the last bits of the tart. Yamaguchi chirped out another laugh.</p><p>“Gosh, I am so sorry! If I didn’t give it to you, you wouldn’t be in this mess,” Yamaguchi clapped his two hands together and bowed towards Ushijima in apology. He waved it off.</p><p>“It was a good heat pack. And I had quite a nice walk on the way here.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“And I very much enjoy gifts from others. I don’t get them very often.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Happy Birthday Wakatoshi!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The team cheered as presents were shoved into his hands. Nicely-wrapped presents overflowed from his hands and Ushijima looked down in surprise. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “What is all of this for?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “They’re gifts, what else?” Reon laughed and the rest of the team nodded along. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Ushijima never really saw the need for useless trinkets just to commemorate the day you were born, he was a practical person after all. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Don’t be like that, Wakatoshi! Just enjoy the presents we got for you!” Tendou laughed, slapping him on the back. Ushijima shifted the gifts in his hands and looked at the bright faces of his teammates. For one of the rarer times in his life, Ushijima smiled. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He was never one for gifts but couldn’t say he didn’t love the people giving them.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>And Ushijima wasn’t going to lie, he’d had a distinct lack of people in general in his life, much less gifts.</p><p>At Ushijima’s words, Yamaguchi’s eyebrows shot up and the widest grin he had ever seen spread across his face.</p><p>“I’ll take note.”</p><p>Ushijima cocked his head to the side. What did he mean by that?</p><p>“Oh right, you might want one of our extra employee shirts since your clothes are still wet. You could borrow my sweater too if you’d like,” Yamaguchi brushed imaginary dust from his lap as he walked over to the cupboard. There were a few sets of clothes inside, one for each present barista and a neatly folded extra uniform lay at the bottom. </p><p>Yamaguchi picked the extra black dress shirt and plucked a sweater from the hanger of what Ushijima assumed was his set of clothes before bumping the door closed with his hip and thrusting them in front of Ushijima’s face.</p><p>“The sweater isn’t necessary.”</p><p>“Please, we both know the dress shirt does nothing to keep anyone warm,” Yamaguchi insisted. “Your scald should be feeling better now right?”</p><p>Ushijima removed the cloth and rubbed his abdomen gingerly. True enough, he didn’t feel any remnant of pain. He tapped it a couple of times and looked up to Yamaguchi to confirm when he realised he didn’t have to.</p><p>“You look… good,” Yamaguchi was already staring at Ushijima’s abdomen. Ushijima cleared his throat when it was clear Yamaguchi was getting a bit distracted.</p><p>“Ah! Wait I- I, uh, meant <em> it </em>looks good! The scald! It’s less red!” Yamaguchi’s face went so red, Ushijima actually felt concerned. How was all that blood rushing up so fast? Ushijima took pity on him as Yamaguchi continued waving his arms frantically.</p><p>“I work out, you know,” Ushijima mentioned gruffly, popping on the buttons of the black dress shirt, now feeling just a little self-conscious without knowing the reason why.</p><p>“I guessed,” Yamaguchi mumbled, clutching the towel in his hands tighter.</p><p>The shirt fit tightly around his chest area but he wasn’t complaining, at least it was covering something.</p><p>“And sorry for the colour of my sweater, it’s probably not the colour you’d want to be seeing now, huh?” Yamaguchi stifled a chuckle as Ushijima grimaced at the light green colour of the yarn.</p><p>“I don’t think I like green very much anymore.”</p><p>Yamaguchi laughed, any attempt at hiding it forgotten. Just as Ushijima managed to wrestle on the sweater, the curtains burst open.</p><p>“Wah Ushiwaka, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to spill it! I didn’t see the water and- Please don’t kill me, I’ll do anything! I’m sorry I called your height stupid and I’m sorry for accusing you of going after Suga and I-” Hinata bawled, throwing himself at Ushijima. He turned at the last moment, sending Hinata crashing to the ground.</p><p>“It’s okay, Hinata. It was an accident,” Ushijima huffed. Hinata rubbed his head and frowned up at Ushijima with a quivering lip.</p><p>“I have to apologise too, I probably shouldn’t have taken that nap and left Hinata unsupervised,” Sugawara slipped in through the curtains too, grin sheepish. Ushijima once again assured them all that he was okay as Yamaguchi led them all out of the back room.</p><p>“Feel free to stay if you’d like! We don’t mind extra company here,” Sugawara smiled, wiping down the counter. The floor was now dry and squeaky clean and most of the crowd from this morning had already cleared out.</p><p>Ushijima looked at the three beaming baristas and glanced at the clock. It was barely even 11am.</p><p>He had time to spare.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Yikes I am so sorry for the long wait! Writing with tests and a minor writer's block was tough :( I tried my best though! Hope I didn't disappoint. I'll try to get one chapter out per week but I will update if there will be delays since planning a slow burn is all about the long-term :P </p><p>Hope you'll continue to support me in spite of this! Thank you!</p><p> </p><p>Also the Haikyuu manga ended today and I am shattered. Thank you so much Haruichi Furudate for this amazing series! Luckily I still have the anime to look forward to ;D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Marketing and Making Plans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ushijima bumps into someone at the supermarket.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HI I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG. The planning for this was really tedious so I spent a long while rewriting this part so I hope you'll forgive me :(( </p><p>Thanks for your support!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How was your week?"</p><p>“You asked me two days ago. I’m still fine.”</p><p>Daichi chuckled and smacked Ushijima on the arm, catching his breath after a particularly intense workout. It was about 9am now.</p><p>“I was just checking in! Who knows what could have happened in the last 24 hours?”</p><p>Ushijima paused. Daichi wasn’t wrong. A lot of things did happen yesterday and the small green sweater hanging to dry in his apartment was just proof of that. He reminded himself to return that to Yamaguchi later on.</p><p>Daichi rummaged through his bag and brought out two energy bars. He bit off a chunk of his own and tossed Ushijima the other one. Ushijima folded the towel in his lap and grabbed the bar, only to find that the entire plastic wrap of the bar was slick with the sweat from Daichi’s hand. Ushijima furrowed his eyebrows, throwing a disgusted look at Daichi and before hastily wiping the bar down with his towel.</p><p>“Boy, am I famished! I keep getting hungry after these workouts. Guess I have a good appetite,” Daichi laughed between bites, completely oblivious to Ushijima’s predicament as he fumbled with the wet plastic.</p><p>“Maybe I should cook something up when I get home after work. Do you know any good recipes? I can only cook a simple fried rice and maybe ramen noodles. Other than those, I’m completely clueless.”</p><p>Ushijima finally ripped open the infuriating energy bar and bit off a big chunk, pulling his phone out in the process.</p><p>“I cook for myself most of the time so I know a couple of good ones. I have a nice recipe for Hayashi rice,” Ushijima mumbled, scrolling idly through pages of recipes he had saved.</p><p>“Awesome! Could you maybe send it over? Here, I’ll give you my contact.”</p><p>Ushijima stilled as Daichi plucked the phone from his hands and clicked into his empty contacts list. Whether it was out of pity or politeness, Ushijima was glad Daichi didn’t mention anything about it. The clicking of his digital keyboard sounded across the room before his phone was being thrusted back into his lap.</p><p>“There you go! Feel free to text whenever,” Daichi smiled and Ushijima looked down at his phone screen.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Daichi Sawamura </em>
</p><p>
  <em> xxx-xxxx-xxxx </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima’s eyes wandered further down Daichi’s contact and found that Daichi had written down his address as well. Daichi grinned sheepishly.</p><p>“Just in case, you know? Plus we’re friends! I don’t mind sharing that kind of information with you.”</p><p>A blossom of warmth bloomed in his chest and he had to keep himself from smiling like a child making his first friend. It had been so long since he had texted anyone, let alone gone to their house.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He and the team- </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He pushed back the memories crawling to the forefront of his mind and nodded towards Daichi instead.</p><p>“Then it’s only fair that I share mine too. I do not mind either.”</p><p>A wide smile split across Daichi’s face as he slipped his phone from his pocket and handed it to Ushijima, peeking occasionally over Ushijima’s shoulder. When Ushijima was done, Daichi was practically vibrating with excitement as he read over Ushijima’s details. His thumb stopped on his screen and hovered over Ushijima’s address as he glanced up curiously.</p><p>“You live here?”</p><p>Ushijima nodded, turning the towel in his hands over and tugging at the edges. Was there something wrong with the place? Daichi must have seen the look on his face because he was suddenly laughing.</p><p>“Don’t worry! There’s nothing wrong with the place. It’s just that a friend moved in there recently. Have you heard of a Yamaguchi Tadashi?”</p><p>Ushijima hummed in affirmation. He had totally forgotten that he didn’t tell Daichi but it was no surprise that Daichi had already heard, especially with all the time he seemed to spend at the cafe.</p><p>“If you’ve met him then you’d know that he’s a great guy. He’s pretty confident and really responsible. You’re lucky you guys live in the same place! He’s probably the type of person who would remind you to take the trash out every day. Plus his coffee is seriously the best! Second only to Hinata’s,” Daichi gave a thumbs up. Everybody seemed to have high praises for Yamaguchi, it seemed.</p><p>Ushijima cocked his head at Daichi.</p><p>“If their coffee is really that good, why do you always order Sugawara’s?”</p><p>Ushijima watched as the words slowly sank in and Daichi started sputtering.</p><p>“He- Koushi- Suga’s really good friend! I’m just supporting him, that’s all! And it’s not like I don’t enjoy his coffee! His coffee is really nice ‘cause since he puts in so much effort and I just think that’s really cool!” Daichi looked away and flapped a hand at Ushijima in an attempt to distract him from his flustered state. “Anyways you haven’t sent me the recipe! Aren’t you hungry? Well, I am! Hayashi rice sure sounds great!”</p><p>Ushijima felt his mouth quirk up at the corners.</p><p>“Sorry, I was only teasing. Here is the recipe.”</p><p>Daichi’s phone buzzed and he read through the recipe, hand covering half his face in what almost looked like contemplation and not a poor attempt to conceal the red on his cheeks.</p><p>“Oh wow, I’m not even sure I have some of these ingredients. I’ll have to go home to check. If not then I’ll have to go to the supermarket.”</p><p>Ushijima perked up. Right, the supermarket. Clicking into his notes app on his phone, he scrolled through his shopping list. He was in urgent need of kitchen towels and he needed to restock most of his condiments. Ushijima scrunched his nose up at the list. The depletion of condiments alone was enough to warrant a trip to the supermarket. How else was he supposed to cook for himself without them?</p><p>After waving goodbye to Daichi that day, Ushijima tucked his chin further into his scarf and sighed, letting his feet drag him to the supermarket.</p><p>Ushijima gripped the handle of his shopping basket and looked around. The harsh fluorescent light illuminated the place in a cold white wash, bouncing off the stocked racks and onto the grimy, squeaky floor of the supermarket. A few middle-aged women bustled around, dragging rattling carts while a pimply teen flipped greasy strips of bacon to advertise a cheap brand of oil.</p><p>Ushijima cringed at the smell and hurried deeper into the supermarket.</p><p>He never really liked supermarkets. Not only was the place big, but the lighting also made it almost impossible to tell what time of the day it was. The music was too upbeat for his tastes, the wheels of shopping carts skidding along the floor made him wince but worst of all, people would plead him to help them to reach the items on the tallest shelf. Sometimes that required him to talk to people. Ushijima grimaced at the thought.</p><p>Not to mention that it also made him feel like a mutated flesh ladder or something like that.</p><p>He scanned the racks for his sauces, thankfully only being interrupted once by an older lady who had difficulties reaching the oyster sauce on the second-highest rack. To his misfortune, she had been especially chatty, asking him about his life and telling him about hers, namely her three grandsons who were her pride and joy, while he stood in place, not saying anything. By the time she had kept the photos of them back into her wallet, a good twenty minutes had passed and Ushijima was more than exhausted.</p><p>The bottles clinked together in his basket as he zipped to the section for tissue paper and paper towels, careful not to make eye contact with anyone else.</p><p>He was just here to get his sauces, his kitchen towels then go straight home.</p><p>Skimming his fingers over the different brands, he finally found the one with the cute elephant mascot on the top and pushed it into his basket with a sigh of relief. It was the last one. He had a ready hand on the handle and was ready to walk away when he realised that without that pack of kitchen towels in the way, he could be able to see right to the back of the shelf. An enticing sliver of light cast itself onto the shelf and Ushijima blinked, feeling a tugging towards it.</p><p>Normally, Ushijima wasn’t one to give in to childish behaviour but seeing the gap in the rack that revealed the other aisle, he couldn’t help but want to bend a little and take a small peep. Looking around, he checked the aisle was empty before slowly crouching forward inch by inch, trying to be as subtle as possible until he was bent almost half over. He really was in an awkward position but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Carefully, he bent the last inch and jerked his head towards the gap.</p><p>And to his utter lack of surprise, his view was completely obscured by boxes on the other side, only a small slit allowing the light to shine through.</p><p>Huffing, he reached downwards to grab the handle of his shopping basket. What did he even expect to see? Admittedly, he felt a bit silly. He couldn’t believe that he had done that in a public space. Who knows who could have seen him do that?</p><p>Shaking his head, he prepared to haul the basket up only to see a pair of sneakers stopping just short of his basket on the ground. Sighing, he glanced upwards. It was probably another person who needed-</p><p>“Hey Ushijima!”</p><p>A man with green hair stared down at him. Yamaguchi?</p><p>“I didn’t know I would bump into you! I was just shopping for toilet paper myself,” Yamaguchi gestured to the large pack of toilet paper he was hugging to his chest. Yamaguchi wore a light shirt with a jacket and a comfy pair of sweatpants. He must have come from home then. Ushijima straightened and nodded in greeting.</p><p>“I was only getting some paper towels,” Ushijima gestured towards his own basket. Yamaguchi grinned as Ushijima lifted his basket.</p><p>“Wanna walk back together?” Yamaguchi shifted the toilet paper in his hands, trying to look over the long pack of ten. Why Yamaguchi needed so much toilet paper, he didn’t know but just watching Yamaguchi struggle with the toilet paper reminded him an awful lot of the first time they met. </p><p>Ushijima pulled the pack from Yamaguchi’s hands and tucked it under his arms, watching as Yamaguchi gaped at him. He wasn’t going to take any more risks.</p><p>“Let’s go, Yamaguchi.”</p><p>The walk to the counter was somewhat awkward, considering Ushijima originally was a very awkward individual but Yamaguchi didn’t seem to mind, humming softly and peeking around at the surroundings.</p><p>They passed by the same older lady who once again seemed to have trouble with a box of cereals on the top shelf. He was starting to think that was her way of trapping people to tell them about her beloved “Haruto, Yuto and Suta”. Ushijima wanted to duck his head and direct Yamaguchi in the other direction before he realised the other was already gone.</p><p>“Here you go,” Yamaguchi smiled, heels planting themselves back on the floor from his tiptoes while he handed the lady the cereal box. He watched in horror as the lady thanked Yamaguchi, arm creeping towards her pocket where her thick wallet that had more pictures that cash lay in wait. Yamaguchi didn’t know what was coming. Ushijima’s legs were moving before he could stop them.</p><p>“Good evening, we mean no disrespect but we are in a rush, sorry and thank you,” Ushijima bowed, taking Yamaguchi’s wrist and dragging him along, not bothering to look back at the lady’s reaction.</p><p>Yamaguchi squeaked and let himself be pulled along the entire trip to the counter.</p><p>“Ushijima?”</p><p>“Ah, sorry Yamaguchi. That lady has a tendency to speak for an… extended period of time,” Ushijima muttered, dropping Yamaguchi’s wrist. Yamaguchi only grinned, shuffling beside Ushijima in the queue.</p><p>“I’m guessing you’ve had personal experience?” Yamaguchi laughed lightly at the way a small wrinkle folded over on Ushijima’s nose bridge. “Thank you for saving me then!”</p><p>Ushijima set the items down on the counter, Yamaguchi’s first then his, and waited for Yamaguchi to pay. He noticed Yamaguchi pointing to something behind the cashier before his attention was pulled away to the buzzing of his phone.</p><p>He fumbled with his pocket before opening the notification. It was a message from Daichi. He hadn’t expected him to text so fast. His heart pounded as his thumbs hovered over the message.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Daichi Sawamura</b>
</p><p>
  <em> - Image received -  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hello Ushijima! Is this the demi-glace sauce? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That… was a picture of soy sauce. Ushijima chewed over his answer, two beeps sounding out in the background as the cashier scanned Yamaguchi’s items. He took a deep breath and typed out his reply.</p><p> </p><p><b>Ushijima Wakatoshi</b> </p><p>
  <em> No. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he looked up in time to see the cashier starting to scan his own items. Yamaguchi stood a little bit away from the counter, rocking on his heels while he waited for Ushijima. Ushijima silently wished the cashier could work faster.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>“Ahh, the weather’s nice today,” Yamaguchi breathed, hugging his toilet paper more tightly to his chest. Ushijima nodded in agreement, shifting the bags in his hands from his wrists to his hands.</p><p>It was still pretty cold but not in a biting way. Yamaguchi bounced happily on every step he took, turning towards Ushijima.</p><p>“Did you just come from working out?”</p><p>“You could say that.” Yamaguchi continued to stare and Ushijima continued. “I work at the gym nearby.”</p><p>“Oh! That’s the one Daichi goes to,” Yamaguchi noted, pushing at the bridge of his nose before catching himself and blinking away. Ushijima pretended not to notice.</p><p>“He’s my trainee.”</p><p>Yamaguchi gaped up at Ushijima.</p><p>“That’s such a coincidence!”</p><p>“Daichi happened to be the one who brought me to the cafe too.”</p><p>“Then you must know about Daichi and Suga?” Yamaguchi asked as they turned into the street their apartment block was on.</p><p>“It’s hard not to.”</p><p>Yamaguchi had a sparkle in his eye as he stopped on the sidewalk and looked determinedly at Ushijima.</p><p>“Would you like to help us?”</p><p>“Us?”</p><p>“Hinata and I and possibly Tsukki as soon as I convince him.”</p><p>“Help in?”</p><p>“Getting Suga and Daichi together.”</p><p>Ushijima raised his eyebrows. He didn’t peg Yamaguchi as someone to do something so childish. But what would that say about him if he wanted to agree? He readily opened his mouth to agree but it shut with a click when he realised what he was doing.</p><p>He had been giving in to all his impulses, yesterday and today. He was getting genuinely <em> invested </em> in these people’s lives. Ushijima clenched his left fist. And they were getting invested in <em> his. </em> He didn’t want them knowing anything. They wouldn’t think the same of him if they knew.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Do you need help carrying that? It looks too heavy.” </em>
</p><p><em> “You shouldn’t overexert yourself.” </em> </p><p>
  <em> “Maybe you should sit out for today.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima shoved the voices away. He hated being reduced to a weakness.</p><p>“Would that not be interfering with their lives?” Ushijima pressed the button for the lift with more force than was necessary. He didn’t even realise that they had reached the lobby. Time passed dangerously fast when he was with other people. Feeling pain jolt up his left arm from the force, he transferred all his groceries to his right hand.</p><p>“Yeah but even Suga has admitted he likes Daichi. We’d be like their wingmen!”</p><p>“I’m not too sure.”</p><p>“Please? You’re close to Daichi right?”</p><p>Ushijima made a vague noise in his throat over the hum of the lift, deliberately not looking at Yamaguchi. A muffled jingling sound came from Yamaguchi’s side, possibly him rummaging into his pockets for his keys. When the doors opened, the jingling stopped abruptly and Ushijima stepped out first, eager to put the distance between them.</p><p>“It was nice walking with you, Yamaguchi.”</p><p>“Ah, me too- but wait!”</p><p>Ushijima turned around reluctantly, only to feel his hand being captured and a packet of something being placed into his hands. Ushijima looked back at Yamaguchi who was grinning bashfully, eyes twinkling and inviting.</p><p>It was a pack of strawberry flavoured gummies.</p><p>Ushijima looked at Yamaguchi in confusion.</p><p>“I didn’t take you for the type to like sweet things but you really seemed to like the tart! And I saw these on sale at the counter so I thought, um, yeah enjoy!” Yamaguchi smiled, fidgeting only a little. “Consider it a bribe!”</p><p>Up close, Yamaguchi had what Ushijima recognised as his manager smile on his face. It was polite and proper and nothing like the smile Yamaguchi had the first time they met. The one with the crinkling eyes and the stretched freckles. This one was still sweet but the brightness was dulled, only a few teeth peeking past his lips. He wondered how he hadn’t noticed that before.</p><p>He wondered what the change in smiles meant.</p><p>Ushijima clenched a weak fist around the sugary packet and tucked it into his pocket.</p><p>“Thank you, Yamaguchi,” He said quietly. Yamaguchi only nodded cheerfully, stepping back and waving a breezy hand as he unlocked his own door.</p><p>“See you around, Ushijima! Don’t forget to think about it!”</p><p>“...I will.”</p><p>With a last polite smile, Yamaguchi’s door slid shut behind him, leaving Ushijima in the empty hallway.</p><p>Ushijima crept into his empty apartment, placing his groceries on the kitchen counter and dropping onto his couch. The packet in his hand crinkled invitingly. </p><p>Tearing it open, he dropped one into his mouth. It was sickeningly sweet and made his teeth tingle just the slightest. He now understood why they were on sale. Swallowing down the rest of the gummy, he wrapped the packet in tissue and shoved it into the refrigerator, shuffling to the bathroom to freshen up.</p><p>As he swung the door open, he found Yamaguchi’s green sweater hanging from the drying rack he had placed it on this morning. A ray of morning sun slipped through the window in his bathroom, illuminating a green sleeve of the sweater.</p><p>Watching it sway in the stillness of the bathroom, Ushijima absently wondered how Yamaguchi could change his mind with just a smile.</p><p>Weird.</p><p>He came to the conclusion that Yamaguchi must be a really persuasive manager.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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